Central Americans and Mexicans, Diets of

The diets of peoples in Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, Nicaragua,
Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, and Costa Rica) have several commonalities,
though within the region great differences in methods of preparation and
in local recipes exist. The basis of the traditional
diet
in this part of the world is corn (maize) and beans, with the addition of
meat, animal products, local fruits, and vegetables. As in other parts of
the world, the diet of people in this area has expanded to include more
processed foods
. In many parts of Mexico and Central America, access to a variety of
foods remains limited, and
undernutrition
, particularly among children, is a major problem. Although access to an
increased variety of foods can improve the adequacy of both
macronutrient
and
micronutrient
status, there is evidence that the use of processed foods is contributing
to the rapidly increasing
prevalence
of
obesity
and diet-related
chronic
diseases such as
diabetes
.

Traditional Dietary Habits

The central staple in the region is maize, which is generally ground and
treated with lime and then pressed into flat cakes called
tortillas.
In Mexico and Guatemala, these are flat and thin, while in other Central
American countries tortillas are thicker. In El Salvador, for example,
small, thick cakes of maize, filled with meat, cheese, or beans, are
called
pupusas.
Maize is also used in a variety of other preparations, including tacos,
tamales, and a thin gruel called
atole
. The complementary staple in the region is beans (
frijoles
), most commonly black or pinto beans. Rice is also widely used,
particularly

A Tzotzil mother makes tortillas with her daughters. The Tzotzil live
in Chiapas, Mexico, near Guatemala. Central Americans traditionally
have simple diets that depend on corn, beans, and local fruits and
vegetables.

in the southernmost countries, such as El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua,
and Costa Rica. Historically, major changes in the traditional diet
occurred during colonial times, when the Spaniards and others introduced
the region to wheat bread, dairy products, and sugar. Wheat is commonly
consumed in the form of white rolls or sweet rolls, or, in the northern
part of Mexico, as a flour-based tortilla. Noodles (
fideos
), served in soups or mixed with vegetables, have also become popular.

The consumption of meat and animal products, although popular, is often
limited due to their cost. Beef, pork, chicken, fish, and eggs are all
used. Traditional cheeses are prepared locally throughout the region as
queso del pais,
a mild, soft, white cheese, and milk is regularly used in
café con leche
and with cereal gruels.

Commonly Used Fruits and Vegetables

The region is a rich source of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Best
known among these are the chile peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos that are
used in the salsas of Mexico. Avocado is also very popular in Mexican and
Central American
cuisines
. Other commonly used vegetables include
calabaza
(pumpkin), carrots, plantains, onions, locally grown greens, and cacti.
Fruits are seasonal but abundant in the rural areas and include guavas,
papayas, mangoes, melons, pineapples, bananas, oranges, and limes, as well
as less-known local fruits such as
nances, mamey,
and
tunas
(prickly pears from cacti). Traditional drinks (
frescos, chichas,
or
liquados
) are made with fruit, water, and sugar.

Methods of Cooking

The traditional preparation of maize involves boiling and soaking dried
maize in a lime-water solution and then grinding it to form a soft dough
called
masa.
Soaking in lime softens the maize and is an important source of
calcium
in the diet. The masa is shaped and cooked on a flat metal or
clay surface over an open fire. In some areas, lard or margarine, milk,
cheese, and/or baking powder may be added to the tortilla during
preparation. Beans are generally boiled with seasonings such as onion,
garlic, and sometimes tomato or chile peppers. They are served either in a
soupy liquid or are "refried" with lard or oil into a drier,
and higher
fat
, preparation.

Meat, poultry, and fish are commonly prepared in local variations of thin
soup (
caldo
or
sopa
), or thicker soups or stews (
cocido
) with vegetables. In Mexico and Guatemala, grilled meats are cut into
pieces and eaten directly on corn tortillas as tacos.

These are often served with a variety of salsas based on tomato or
tomatillo with onion, chile, coriander leaves (cilantro), and other local
seasonings. Tamales are made with corn (or corn and rice) dough that is
stuffed with chicken and vegetables. The tamales are steamed after being
wrapped in banana leaves. Salvadorian
pupusas
are toasted tortillas filled with cheese, beans, or pork rind eaten with
coleslaw and a special hot sauce.

Central American and Mexican Dishes

Beyond the basic
staples
, the cuisine of Mexico and Central America is rich with many regional
variations. The tortilla-based Mexican preparations familiar in the United
States are generally simpler in form in Mexico.
Tacos
are generally made with meat, chicken, or fish grilled or fried with
seasoning and served on tortillas;
enchiladas
are filled tortillas dipped in a chile-based sauce and fried; and
tostadas
are fried tortillas topped with refried beans or meat, and sometimes with
vegetables and cream.
Chiles rellenos
are made with the large and sweet chile
poblano
and filled with ground meat. Examples of specialty dishes include
mole,
a sauce made with chocolate, chile, and spices and served over chicken,
beef, or enchiladas; and
ceviche,
raw marinated fish or seafood made along the coast throughout Central
America and Mexico.

Nutritional Benefits

The staple diet of the region—corn and beans, supplemented with
meat, dairy products, and local fruit and vegetables—is
nutritionally complete and well suited to a healthful lifestyle. The
proper combination of tortilla and beans provides an excellent complement
of
amino acids
, thus supplying the necessary amount of complex
protein
. The process of liming the maize makes the calcium and the
niacin
in the tortilla more bioavailable, and this food is a major source of
these
nutrients
. In addition, the traditional preparation of tortillas with a hand mill
and grinding stones appears to add
iron
and
zinc
to the tortilla. Beans are excellent sources of
B vitamins
, magnesium,
folate
, and
fiber
. The tomato and chile-based salsas, along with several of the tropical
fruits such as limes and oranges are important sources of vitamin C, and
the variety of vegetables and yellow fruits such as papaya, melon, and
mango provide excellent sources of
carotenoids
, which are precursors of vitamin A.

Nutritional Limitations

Unfortunately, limited financial access to this variety of foods for many
people in Central America and Mexico means that the diet often does not
include sufficient levels of
vitamins
and
minerals
. For low-income groups,
lack of access to animal products contributes to deficiencies in iron,
zinc, vitamin A, and other nutrients. When animal products are included,
there has been a tendency to choose high-fat products such as sausage and
fried pork rinds (
chicharron
). The use of lard and a preference for fried foods also contributes to
high intakes of
saturated fat
and
cholesterol
among subsets of the population.

Influence of Central American and Mexican Culture

As two cultures intermingle, foods and preparations from each tend to
infiltrate the other. This is clearly the case near the U.S.-Mexican
border, where Mexican immigrants and return immigrants have incorporated
foods from U.S. diets into their traditional diets. The result has been a
modified form of Mexican cuisine popularly known as
"Tex-Mex." Beyond the border, this
Americanized
version of popular Mexican foods has spread throughout the United States
through the popularity of Mexican restaurants. In the United States, tacos
and tostadas tend to have less Mexican seasoning, but include lettuce and
shredded processed cheese. Flour, rather than corn, tortillas are more
widely used along the border. Many foods, such as soups and chiles,
prepared along the border have become known for their spicy hotness, due
to the Mexican-influenced use of chiles and chile powder.

Changes in Dietary Practices

Throughout the world, the diets of traditional cultures have experienced
what has been called the "
nutrition
transition," particularly during the last few decades of the
twentieth century. In Mexico and Central America, as elsewhere, this
transition has been fueled by
globalization
and urbanization. Major dietary changes include an increased use of
animal products and processed foods that include large amounts of sugar,
refined flour, and hydrogenated fats. At the same time, a decline in the
intake of whole grains, fruit, and vegetables has been documented. While
the increased variety has improved micronutrient status for many
low-income groups, the inclusion of more animal fat and refined foods has
contributed to a rapid increase in obesity and chronic disease throughout
the region.

These changes are more evident among immigrants to the United States,
where adoption of U.S. products has been shown to have both positive and
negative impacts on nutritional status. Studies that compared diets of
Mexican residents to newly arrived Mexican-American immigrants and to
second-generation Mexican Americans have documented both nutritionally
positive and negative changes with acculturation. On the positive side,
acculturated Mexican Americans consume less lard and somewhat more fruit,
vegetables, and milk than either newly arrived immigrants or Mexican
residents. On the negative side, they also consume less tortilla, beans,
soups, stews, gruels, and fruit-based drinks, with greater use of meat,
sweetened ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, soft drinks, candy, cakes, ice
cream, snack chips, and salad dressings.

Conclusion

The traditional diet of Mexico and Central America is based on corn and
beans, but offers a wide
diversity
of preparations. Coupled with locally available fruits, vegetables, meat
and dairy products, the diet can be highly nutritious. However, poverty
frequently limits access to an adequate variety of
quality foods, resulting in
malnutrition
. At the same time, the increasing use of processed foods is contributing
to obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions in this region. The
balance between improving access to variety and maintaining dietary
quality poses a challenge for public health.